Mark Derstine is the Director of Design Engineering at SPARC Research. He is responsible for the coordination of our engineering efforts with direct oversight of engineering personnel. Mark has over 35 years of experience in the aerospace industry focusing in the areas of structural analysis, advanced materials, and composites design/analysis. 

Prior to joining SPARC Research, Mark was Senior Manager of the Structures organization for the Defense Business Unit at Aerojet Rocketdyne, formerly Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC). 

Mark holds a Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Wichita State University.

When he’s not having fun at SPARC Research, Mark enjoys the outdoors – hiking, cycling, and running.